Powerbroker with eye on throne plots path to peace

THE man favoured to succeed Malcolm Speed as International
Cricket Council chief executive later this year has implored senior
Indian officials to refrain from the pursuit of power and commit to
more altruistic causes.

Inderjit Singh Bindra, the former president of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India, has been shortlisted for the ICC's
chief executive position, despite having yet to officially announce
his candidacy. It is widely acknowledged, however, the veteran
Indian administrator has the support of those charged with
replacing Speed, prompting the Hindustan Times newspaper to
last month publish the triumphal headline: "India set to rule world
cricket."

The prospect of a leading Indian figure at the helm of the ICC
may perturb those member nations outside the Afro-Asian bloc - many
of whom would view the move as further proof of India's
stranglehold on the game - however it might also provide the bridge
so desperately needed between the Dubai-based council and its most
powerful member.

Increasingly, the ICC has appeared subservient to the whims and
wants of the BCCI - despite Bindra's claims to the contrary - and a
leader with the ability to ameliorate that relationship and restore
a semblance of balance to the game, it is argued, could save it
from future skirmishes and, possibly, an all-out split.

Certainly, Bindra would appear to match that job description. A
powerbroker within the BCCI at present, and the current Punjab
Cricket Association president, the erudite administrator possesses
the contacts and the experience necessary for the job. And, in an
interview with the Herald this week, Bindra gave the
distinct impression he had the vision, too.

"India fought hard [in 1993] in opposing the veto powers of
England and Australia at the ICC, and there is no interest to hand
India a veto of sorts now," Bindra said. "That would totally be
against the principles we have stood for. Cricket does not need
another hegemony.

"I would say that 95 per cent of those at the BCCI share that
opinion, however the loud minority are the ones who have tended to
show up in the media. That is not necessarily the media's fault,
but also that the BCCI has not projected the right image.

"India is in a position where it can grow the game. It should be
seeking greater responsibility, not more power. By using its
resources wisely, and not just trying to impose a dictatorship,
everyone should benefit from India's position in the game."

Bindra will decide in the coming weeks whether he will nominate
for Speed's soon-to-be-vacated position, but his comments this week
certainly had the ring of a campaign launch.

Officially, Bindra said he would need to resolve several family
and professional hurdles before standing for the chief executive's
post - to be decided at a board meeting next month, with input from
European recruiting firm Egon Zehnder International. But those
close to the former BCCI president suggest he has both the desire
and the numbers to replace Speed, who will end his seven-year
tenure at the helm of the ICC in June.

"It is a job that I find very exciting," Bindra said. "And I
believe I have the necessary experience to equip me for the job. I
just have to find a way through some of these problems I am
facing.

"Whomever gets the job, I hope money would be the last
consideration behind their appointment. India just came up with $2
billion without [the IPL] even being launched. That shows that
money is easily available to India. But it does not necessarily
mean there is greater brain power there because of it."

Bindra held a series of meetings last week with Cricket
Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor during the Adelaide Test to
steel board relations against the racism row that prompted much
anger and resentment between the Australian and Indian players.

He has previously proved instrumental in converting India from a
latent force to perhaps the most powerful sporting organisation in
the world, and was also among the highest profile whistle-blowers
to speak out during the match-fixing saga.

Throughout, Indian sources say, he has retained a passion for
the game far deeper than that of his power-driven contemporaries.
That certainly appeared to be the message when he addressed India's
cricketers before the contentious Harbhajan Singh appeal hearing in
Adelaide.

"It is their job to bring glory and grace to their country," he
explained. "When they wear the Indian colours, it is their duty to
reflect the sentiments of the country and serve as true ambassadors
of the game. Hopefully, lessons have been learned."